Pair mornings on the mountain with a bowl of spicy Hokkaido soup curry at Furanoya or try the area’s traditional post-ski treat at a Hokkaido-style ice cream making class at the Furano Cheese Factory. Given Furano’s size (just 415 acres), Widman often builds multi-mountain itineraries, adding Asahikawa and Mt Asahi-dake, Hokkaido’s highest peak with “incredible backcountry access”.
Orens recommends an island road trip from Niseko to Iwanai and then to Rusutsu. “Each stop gives you a completely different view, snow and feel,” he says. “At Iwanai Resort, you can go snowcat skiing straight into untouched powder, and in the mornings, they’ll hand you hot coffee and doughnuts before you even clip in. Rusutsu caps the trip with some of the area’s most consistent snow.”
Getty ImagesA new lift will make it easier to explore the Les 3 Vallees ski area (Credit: Getty Images)
Méribel, France
In the French Alps, Chamonix, Val d’Isere and Courchevel get the most attention, but this year, train your skis towards Méribel, which makes up one-third of the Les 3 Vallees ski area. This quaint ski town with wood chalet architecture has access to 600km (373 miles) of trails, a lively après-ski scene (slopeside cabaret at La Folie Douce, anyone?) and gorgeous views of the Les Allues valley.
“We’ve seen a significant uptick in Méribel enquiries this season – around 50% more interest than last year,” says Nickie Mabey, founder of Mabey Ski. She adds that snow reliability comes with “a more grounded, authentic Savoyard feel [for guests who] want private mountain guides who know which refuges serve the best hay-matured raclette, torch-lit forest dinners and wine tastings with local sommeliers”.
This season, the Côte Brune lift, which connects Meribel to Val Thorens, has been updated into a lightning-quick 10-person gondola. Forty-year-old Les Rhodos, too, has been given a €10m (£8.7m) makeover, and a new green run debuts at Rhodos mid-station to the Rond Point. The First Track experience will be taking place every Wednesday from Roc de Fer, a World Cup downhill ski course.
Queenstown, New Zealand
Eager to extend the snow-cap fantasy beyond March? Head to Queenstown, home to one of the world’s longest winter sports seasons, stretching nearly five months from June to October. Four distinct resorts – all within a short drive of the city’s downtown – offer beginner-friendly tracks, freestyle parks and plenty of backcountry fields. Winter 2026 also marks the first full season of the Soho Basin expansion, which added another 370 acres to the Cardrona Alpine Resort trail map, making it the country’s largest commercial ski resort.
ROKI Collection, a luxury hotel that opened on the banks of Lake Wakatipu on 1 September 2025, is within striking distance of the slopes on The Remarkables ski area. Queenstown’s winter season is also full of events, including the 10-day Winter Pride in August – the Southern Hemisphere’s largest LGBTQIA+ winter festival.
“I think people tend to approach Queenstown differently,” Mabey says. “It’s often booked as part of a broader New Zealand winter trip. The town itself is such a major draw with adventure activities, wine regions and that stunning lakeside setting that skiing becomes one element of a multi-faceted holiday.”
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